Kid, We Miss You

The guy at the karaoke lounge took the mic and sang "Truly", and my tears flowed. It was an inappropriate end to a karaoke outing, I know, but I just couldn't help myself. I don't usually cry during karaoke sessions, that's for sure, but last night felt different, somehow. Suddenly I felt a presence within me.

My dear friend Syed Zahir, whom I looked upon as a kid brother more than just a friend, passed away a month back in a horrendous road accident somewhere up North. His young life was snuffed instantaneously one rainy afternoon when his car spun and slammed into a metal road divider near Bandar Baru Kulim.

Syed, or Cisco, as he styled himself, loved karaokeing. He sang well too, albeit with a thick Northern slang, being the Kedahan that he was. One of his favourite numbers was Lionel Ritchie's "Truly". It was a joy to hear him sing for he did it with feeling. As was his habit, he would mispronounce the same words time and again, but he couldn't care less.

Maybe I'm just an emotional old fool but some songs touch me so. There was a time when I couldn't muster the lyrics of "Terlalu Istimewa" by Adibah Noor because I kept choking up. Each time I tried to sing it, my tears would well up.

Even now, when I could keep my emotion in check while singing this number, I still feel the occasional twinge of sadness. Can't help it, really. After all, "Terlalu Istimewa" is a mother's lament of a child taken by God at a tender age.

On the other hand, "Baby Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me" is one of those tunes that take me down memory lane. I was 19 and in love, and he dumped me for another girl....